


With You

by Valkiriana



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Hongjoong is rich, M/M, Possibly Unrequited Love, Seonghwa is his assistant, and a brat, and hes very professional, kind of funny?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:20:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24657466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valkiriana/pseuds/Valkiriana
Summary: Seonghwa's a full time assistant and a full(er) time babysitter.Or,Hongjoong's a brat. But he is Seonghwa's brat
Relationships: Kim Hongjoong & Park Seonghwa, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 12
Kudos: 139





	With You

**Author's Note:**

> Half of this was lowkey all the key written by a friend  
> Check her works out! (Cellywelly in ao3)  
> Also she has great fanart in twitter (@pinkycelly)

Seonghwa lets out a little grunt of annoyance as he’s violently wrenched away from dreamland. The perfect sunny beach with crystalline waters slowly darkens away, the tropical drink in his hands turning into pure nothing as he slowly comes back to his senses. And he tries, oh how he tries to stay there, hangs onto the dream with all his force. But eventually, that annoying little ringtone that comes from his phone is too much for his ears, and the blue bright sky under which he sunbathed happily vanishes to brightness. He realizes, with half his consciousness, that he just turned on his bedside lamp.  
  
Oh, to be in a polynesian island in the middle of nowhere. Happy, alone, with no responsibilities. No work. No Hongjoong.  
  
But instead, he’s forced to sit up reluctantly and reach for his phone, that has been ringing nonstop for god knows how long. He could hear it as he sipped on his piña colada, after all.  
  
Seonghwa takes one second to glare at the offending name on the screen, sight blurry, but too used to that little name not to be able to recognize it. He sighs before he finally takes the call, knowing that ignoring Kim Hongjoong is anything but helpful.

"Hell-?"  
  
“You need to come over. _Right now_.” Comes the hurried voice of his employer- or rather, his employer’s son. And then, he hangs up.  
  
Seonghwa is left blinking at his screen for about fifteen seconds when he realizes it’s three in the fucking morning, and he seriously considers quitting to spend the next three months in some deserted island.  
  
He could be a fisher or something.  
  
A man can dream, can he not? (Apparently, not when Hongjoong is involved)  
  
Seonghwa just sighs dramatically, yet again, and gets dressed quickly. He’s almost in automatic mode, as he washes his face and takes an energy drink from his fridge - It’ll be a long night, he figures. Eventually, he fetches his car keys and he’s out the door, ready to deal with whatever job- related mess Hongjoong’s dragging him into. Because Seonghwa is nothing, if not professional.  
  
In no time, he reaches the richest area of the city, that conveniently happens to be near where he lives. For easy access to Hongjoong’s needs, of course.  
  
Seonghwa is so used to the exuberant buildings and houses he doesn’t even bother looking at them anymore. Instead, as soon as he parks his car, he’s entering Hongjoong’s building. The security guard in the reception doesn’t even ask for his ID anymore, well used to his presence by now.   
  
Seonghwa greets him with a polite nod and smiles at the encouraging one the other sends in return. As he takes the lift to the highest floor, Seonghwa mumbles a mantra to himself, to calm down his annoyance, hype himself up to deal with whatever it is the other want.  
  
_I love my job, It’s great money, I love my job, I love-_  
  
But too soon, he reaches Hongjoong’s door, punching the code and opening the door to let himself in without even as much as a greeting.  
  
“Please- _Please_ tell me you didn’t get me out of my bed at 3 AM on a week day just because you’re having a creative block again, because I will quit.” Seonghwa announces his presence, throwing his jacket on a chair by the entrance before he walks into the big living room.  
  
The clear view of the city doesn’t faze him anymore, and instead he watches with a mix of disgust, reluctance and fondness, the way Hongjoong is laying on the floor.  
  
Nevermind that he has a couch large enough for twelve people, or the fact that he has the biggest king sized bed in probably the whole city, especially made for him, delivered from god knows where, and the best mattress money can buy, with fine, fine silk sheets.  
  
“No, you won’t, I pay you too well.” Hongjoong replies at the air. He’s clad in a very elegant suit - one of his designs, most likely. He does enjoy wearing his desings before his family's company starts producing them for sale. But him dressed so sharply at this time of the night isn’t unusual for him. What is unusual, though, is that he seems to have no care for his beautiful clothes as he shoves a mouthful of crisps into his mouth and stares at the ceiling, ignoring Seonghwa’s dramatic entrance. There are open snacks all over and around him, and Seonghwa cringes, knowing that means this, whatever it is, is bad.  
  
Whatever hope he had of getting rid of this fast and sleeping just enough in order not to feel dead in the morning is instantly crushed.  
  
“You don’t pay me. Your dad does.”

“Well, I will, eventually.”

"Please, you think I'll work with you forever?" 

"Yes." 

It should be terrifying, how confident he says it. But it's not. Instead it fills him with pleasant warmth that distracts him from his objective: do whatever Hongjoong needs him to do and go home as fast as he can. If he can.   
  
Seonghwa snorts as he finally moves towards the other and crouches down next to him. “You look terrible.” He informs, gently, but earns a glare in return.  
  
Well deserved he thinks. It might look scary for many people. But coming from him, it doesn't intimidate Seonghwa. He can't, no matter how much he tries.   
  
When Hongjoong finally swallows, he turns his head and his eyes soften, turning glassy, a very bad acted puppy face. But it doesn’t matter, because he knows Seonghwa is weak for it. And how could he not? When Hongjoong’s always so very cute, no matter what he does or how annoying he is? Even with puffy eyes and hair sticking in all different directions, the shine of grease on his lips, Seonghwa still thinks he’s the most handsome man in the world.  
  
“She broke up with me.”  
  
Seonghwa blinks.  
  
“I- Well, this is new.” Seonghwa blurts, because never, in the three years he’s been working as Hongjoong’s personal assistant has the man had to go through the pain of being broken up with, instead of the other way around. Not that his relationships are ever serious, anyways. But a wave of relief washes over him at the news regardless. He clears his throat, tries to remain professional and ignore his feelings. “Did… did she tell you why?”  
  
Hongjoong huffs and rolls his eyes at the question, sitting up harshly. Seonghwa almost loses his balance. “Blah, blah something about how I’m not involved enough, blah blah- like, what does that even mean?!” Hongjoong throws his arms in the air in frustration while he walks to his fridge and then grabs a pot of ice cream, slamming the door shut. “I took her on dates, I brought her nice, really nice things- I always dress up for our dates, why would anyone break up with me? I’m rich, I’m handsome and I’m a great boyfriend!”  
  
Seonghwa just sighs and grabs a spoon from the kitchen to hand it to Hongjoong on the couch.  
  
The other doesn’t even look at him, angrily grabbing it to shove a mouthful of ice cream into his mouth as he stares at his glass walls, the view of the city. When he’s finally done being mad at the glass, he pulls the spoon away from his mouth with an audible pop and pouts at Seonghwa instead. “I don’t like this, I feel so weird. Is this how you normal people feel? But I’m not - I don’t get it. Why did she break up with me?”  
  
“I wonder why anyone would even consider it.” Seonghwa rolls his eyes with full sarcasm, doesn’t bother to even conceal it. They know each other way too much for that.  
  
Hongjoong squints at him, and instead of acknowledging the little prod, snorts at him. “Wow. Are those eyebags Gucci or Praga?”  
  
“Ha-ha. You’re hilarious.” Seonghwa deadpans, without a single trace of amusement in his face. Or body. God what a brat. Why does he even like him? “Whose fault is that now?”

“Sowwy.” Hongjoong replies with ice cream in his mouth and without showing the slightest bit of regret, cheeks puffed up. It’s absolutely disgusting. Seonghwa is endeared. God how he hates Hongjoong's perfect little face, the way he moves, the way he talks, always too fast, a little slurred.   
  
Hongjoong finally swallows, as Seonghwa delights in his little bubble of unrequited love. Or attraction. It's not like Seonghwa hasn't thought about it, that maybe, just maybe, all he needs is one night to get it out of his system forever. But trying to fuck your boss- or your boss' son, whose sexuality has always been kind of ambiguous, is never a good idea. And Seonghwa is, above all, a well behaved professional that won't jeopardize a work relationship no matter how much his body- or heart- insists he does.   
  
Not that Hongjoong wants him back, anyways, always too busy dating girl after girl, and maybe, just maybe, hooking up with boys he met in bars.   
  
“I just, this is so annoying- What is going on even?”  
  
Seonghwa clicks his tongue at him and takes a little kleenex from his pocket. Before Hongjoong can keep whining, he’s quick to softly turn his head by his chin, tilting it up towards him. He ignores the voices in his head yelling at him to stop! Where’s the professional line?! He needs to keep it (even if Hongjoong bombarded it the very first time they met).  
  
“It’s called rejection, _sir_.” (Professional much?) Hongjoong cringes at that little word, but Seonghwa likes to use it to make him uncomfortable every now and then. He is gentle as he cleans around the younger’s mouth, getting rid of the ice cream and ignoring the fact that he can feel the other’s lips with his fingertips, the way that makes him feel so very tingly. “And it tends to happen to everybody eventually. ‘ _Normal_ ’ or not.” Seonghwa finishes, pulling away reluctantly- but like the good professional he is.   
  
Hongjoong, who’s strangely quiet for once, stares at him like he’s just grown another head, and then, finally snaps out of it.  
  
“Ew. No. I refuse to let it happen to me, make it go away- And stop calling me “Sir”! It’s weird.”  
  
Seonghwa makes a little ball out of the paper tissue and throws it at his head, receiving a little “Hey!” in protest.  
  
“That’s fine. Is “kid” alright with you? Seems to suit you perfectly.” Seonghwa rolls his eyes because, of course Hongjoong, as brilliant as he is with when it comes to his job, would not even _try_ to be rational when it comes to having feelings to deal with them like the adult he -sort of- is.   
  
“Go for it, old man.” Hongjoong answers, unfazed as he takes another spoonful of ice cream to his mouth.  
  
Seonghwa sighs defeatedly at the way Hongjoong makes a mess of himself again.  
  
“Just don't throw another tantrum over this, okay? Please just finish your ice cream, cry a little and next week you can get a new girlfriend. You didn't even care about this one, anyways." Seonghwa had purposefully erased her name from his head because, truth be told, he has an outstanding memory. Is it weird that he always seems to forget the names of Hongjoong's multiple girlfriends? Probably. But Hongjoong never questioned him, and that’s enough for him to keep doing it (In his own defense, though, the kid has had a ton).  
  
Hongjoong grumbles in reply, frowning at his pot.  
  
“Can I go home now?”  
  
“No. Not until I feel better.”

Seonghwa furrows deeper into the couch with a deep exhale, accepting his destiny. _I love my job, the money is great, the money is great, the money-_  
  
“Oh, I know!” Hongjoong exclaims all of a sudden, startling him. “I’ll call her and tell her I was gonna dump her anyway. Like a re-break up but this time, I’ll get to do it!”  
  
"What?! No!" Seonghwa yells and half laughs-half freaks out as he sees Hongjoong get his phone from his pocket.  
  
Oh god, he should have known the open cans of beer on the kitchen table were a terrible, terrible sign.  
  
_He is tipsy._  
  
Seonghwa yanks the phone away from the other's hands before he can cause a disaster that will last weeks with just a few taps on the screen. He is aware that this is now the delicate, critical moment before a possible Hongjoong-related crisis, and is suddenly glad he's here to stop him from wreaking havoc- yet again. "No! That's the most- that doesn't even make any sense, things don't work like that." Seonghwa says and eyes the past couple’s conversation where Hongjoong had it open. 

She'd been kind. Very, very kind, Seonghwa thinks as he reads the carefully concealed annoyance in her break up message. Hongjoong probably didn’t deserve a type of girl like her. But she had left Hongjoong’s little demands for more explanations unreplied and that probably didn’t sit well with him and his surprisingly delicate ego. To be such a renowed designer, son of filthy rich people that made sure he grew up surrounded by love and acceptance, Hongjoong has always been quite insecure. Even if the other conceals it with demands, tantrums and airs of greatness, he knows the younger is always somehow testing people's love and loyalty, as if afraid they'll leave him. Seonghwa can't quite justify how self-centered Hongjoong is, though, but that's okay. He doesn't mind- that much.   
  
“Seonghwa! Give it back- who cares if things don’t work like that? People don't just dump me, that's how things work!" Hongjoong whines, attempting to get his phone back from his hands, but Seonghwa is quick to move away.  
  
“Hell, no.” He says sternly as he stands up, hiding the phone behind his back. “What have we talked about thinking eight times before doing things? And sixteen when you’re drunk?" Seonghwa asks. “If you go around acting like a bitter dude and say anything remotely mean and she captions it, we’re fucked! Media isn’t exactly kind with your image, we don’t need an alleged sexist message on top of the word _womanizer_.”  
  
Hongjoong's insistently trying to get his precious phone back, and Seonghwa, who would rather avoid dating someone shorter than himself, feels the dreaded surge of attraction and fondness grow from deep inside his chest at the sight of the shorter man.   
  
God, he is in too deep.  
  
“I’m not drunk!” Hongjoong whines, as he flails for his phone, wrapping his hands around Seonghwa’s middle in a way that makes the older tremble and raise the phone above his head, where he knows he can’t reach it. Hongjoong huffs again in defeat. “And who said I was gonna be sexist? I just want to dump her too.” He makes little sounds of disgruntlement as he reaches for a lollipop in his pocket and sits back on the couch, wrapping it and shoving it into his mouth.  
  
_Oh no_. Not his oral fixation, not right now.   
  
“Go home, old man, you’re no help.”  
  
As he swallows, and tries very, very hard not to openly stare at Hongjoong’s pretty, shiny lips. Seonghwa slides the phone on his pocket. He is relieved, that at least the other has given up. He glances at his watch and throws his head back resigned, staring at the ceiling for a moment.  
  
“It's already four, Hongjoong, we need to be up in five hours, remember? That meeting? And you will not wake up on your own, after tonight. I will not go home to sleep three hours just to have to come back and make sure you wake up. I'm staying." He announces, and if Hongjoong minds, he doesn’t show it.  
  
“Of course I remember the meeting, I cancelled my date to finish preparing for it- ohhh" He breathes in realisation, eyes wide in sudden, bright understanding. "Not involved enough…”  
  
Seonghwa stares, trying not to facepalm as Hongjoong has the revelation of his life, apparently.  
  
“Fine. I don’t care then. She was too clingy for me anyways. I don’t know why these girls expect so much from me, anyways.”  
  
“What part of _after your money_ , do you not understand?” Seonghwa says with annoyance and it makes Hongjoong smirk, somehow.  
  
“Now who’s being sexist, mh?” He singsongs, pleased, as he moves the lollipop from one point of his bottom lip to the other, slowly, teasingly. Seonghwa feels a little lightheaded. God, Hongjoong and his mouth are the bane of his existence.  
  
“No. It applies to dudes too, you just don’t date them so they don’t have a chance.” _I don’t have a chance_ , he thinks bitterly. Not that it’d be okay anyways, what with Hongjoong’s being his lowkey boss and all that.  
  
Hongjoong furrows his eyebrows at that and looks away, as if somehow offended. “You don’t think there are other reasons to date me?” He asks, licking his sweet.  
  
Seonghwa stares at Hongjoong in defeat. His heart starts pounding and he's determined to ignore it completely. No matter how hard it is. This is your _job_ , Park Seonghwa.  
  
"No. You're a brat." He concludes after thinking about it for a moment and then sits down next to Hongjoong eyes on a chopper passing by not that far away. An obvious, painful lie from his part.  
  
“Pff.” He’s kicked lightly, and it makes him snort, softly. “What do you know anyways? I’m pretty sure you’ve never dated ever since you started being my assistant.”  
  
Seonghwa feels his stomach twist uncomfortably at those words. "And yet again, whose fault is that?" It's double Hongjoong's fault. Firstly, because taking care of him is a full time deal, and he can't take care of three people's emotional well being, his, his partner's and Hongjoong's. And secondly, because Hongjoong is so annoyingly beautiful, all Seonghwa ever sees if he happens to have his eyes on someone else, is how Not- Hongjoong they are. "Last time I was on a date you literally called me because your sketches weren’t coming out the way you wanted and you were stressed."  
  
“Hey! A deadline was coming up, okay? It was important!” Hongjoong complains and then puts the lollipop back in his mouth. “As if that was the problem anyways, me calling you mid-date that one time- Also, would you let that go?! I tried to make up for it, didn’t I? I set you up with someone.”  
  
“We do _not_ talk about that time.” Seonghwa states, sternly, eyes harsh.  
  
Hongjoong whines, but Seonghwa doesn’t fall for it this time. “I still don't see how it went so badly! I was sure he was your type, and he was definitely cute-"  
  
"We do not talk about that!" Seonghwa repeats, not wanting to remember the trauma that date had been. "Never play matchmaker again, for the love of god."  
  
Hongjoong cackles evilly, grinning as he turns towards him, looking eager. “Talking about that, I have another friend who’s single-”  
  
“Does this one know that Paris isn’t a country?” Seonghwa cuts him up, extremely unimpressed. “Or are they gonna ask me how many quarters are there in a dollar?” That terrible date had somehow been worse than the time Hongjoong set him up with a girl because he thought he was bisexual. At least she knew her topics.  
  
“Oh please, would you let it go? We can’t all be renaissance men for you. Anyways, this friend knows plenty, and he is taller than you!” Hongjoong announces happily.  
  
The fact that he wants to set him up makes him feel weird. Should he feel sad or happy that Hongjoong seems to at least care for his well being, in his own weird way?  
  
"I- no. Why do you even want me to be with someone that is gonna break up with me as soon as they realize my job is basically being your babysitter twenty-four seven?"  
  
Hongjoong resents that, and he says as much with a whine as he leaves the unfinished lollipop on the lid of the ice cream - thank god for that- and then stretches back into the couch with a little moan of satisfaction - not thank god for that. “Anyways, he doesn’t have to be your boyfriend, but I feel like you really could use the sex-”  
  
Seonghwa chokes on his own spit. “Oh my _god_. That’s it, I’m quitting-” He mumbles to himself, as he stands up and moves towards the kitchen. His body is warm, overheating little by little, and he’s sure his ears are red, really red, while he takes a half empty can of beer and finishes it all in one go. It’s disgusting, and he’s breaking his perfectly kept diet, but fuck it, he needs it.  
  
Hongjoong’s head peaks from the back of the couch to keep watching him. He looks cute, so very cute, as he smiles at him teasingly, enjoying his pain, making him suffer. 

Little sadist.  
  
“I didn’t know you drank alcohol.” He comments, seemingly very amused.  
  
“What do you know about me, really?” Seonghwa answers with both palms on the cold marble counter, coolness seeping in and calming him down. “I could be a spy from Jeong&Co.”  
  
“Hilarious, really, I’m so amused I can’t even laugh.” Hongjoong deadpans, half- glaring at him.  
  
Everybody who moves around the world of companies and marketing, is well aware of the friendly rivalry between both families. But when it comes to Hongjoong, he's decided to throw " _friedly_ ' through the window. Jeong Yunho, the main heir, is, for some reason, the bane of his very existence, even if they used to be friends as kids, and attended the same highschool as teenagers. Whatever happened there is a huge mystery, and Hongjoong has decidedy kept the reasons to himself and will just huff annoyedly if Seonnghwa ever tries to ask. it's even worse when they have to see Yunho at a public event, and Hongjoong will purposefully hang onto Seonghwa's arm, almost protectively, leading him away from said boy before he comes and greet them himself.   
  
Seonghwa has no quarrel with the nice, friendly, young man, who will sometimes chat him up if he's bored and alone by the buffet, Hongjoong busy and socialising. Yunho will often joke about what a good assistant Seonghwa is, and how much do I need to pay you to come work with me? Lately, the joke became less of a joke and is now a very serious offer. It doesn't help that Yunho seems to downright flirt with Seonghwa now, though the older is sure that he's just trying to get a reaction out of Hongjoong.   
  
“I’m very serious here. If you fire me without enough money to compensate all the years of pain you made me go through, I will tell all your secrets to Jeong Yunho himself, so you better treat me real good.” Seonghwa says and takes the other unfinished can with a grimace. Really shitty indeed. He doesn’t know why Hongjoong drinks that crap with all the money he has. But at least he feels more calm now, and he returns to his position back on the couch.   
  
Hongjoong huffs audibly yet again, picking at a loose thread on his couch that he’ll probably have replaced just for that little detail now. “You probably already have with all the time you two spend talking together whenever you’re at a social function with me.” He says and carelessly- shamelessly- throws his legs over Seonghwa’s lap. “Maybe you are his assistant secretly.” He sniffs airily.  
  
Seonghwa pretends like the whole situation isn’t making his heart dance around in his chest, and casually rests his hands over Hongjoong’s shins.  
  
“Maybe I am.” He replies, good naturedly and Hongjoong all but jumps in outrage..  
  
“No, you’re mine!” His eyes are wide and Seonghwa’s breath leaves him for a moment, air knocked out of his chest at the sudden outburst, the little words that make him air headed, out of his depth. “M-my, _my assistant_ , I mean.” Hongjoong clarifies, a little flustered for some reason and Seonghwa can do nothing but stare, lips a little parted as Hongjoong, red in the cheeks, kicks to break free and stands up, all of a sudden.  
  
“I’m going to sleep.” He suddenly announces as he walks to the stairs and stops just before them. “Wake me up for a shower. You can use any of the rooms, bathroom, shampoo blah, blah, you know this- but touch my skincare and you’re dead.” Hongjoong rushes to say, and then he’s up the stairs and slamming his door shut, as if he wanted him to hear. And he probably did, considering how dramatic Hongjoong is.  
  
Seonghwa gives himself a couple of minutes to recover from the beating his heart has just gone through, with that goddamn lollipop, the overall cuteness, the little outburst at the end.  
  
_Mine_ , he said. He should be insulted, probably, to be treated like a thing, but he can’t help but feel wanted, desired. Important. And maybe that’s why he doesn’t quit, even though he threatens to do so weekly-daily at this point.  
  
But as he cleans around the kitchen, the open snacks, his phone suddenly sounds. No. Hongjoong’s.  
  
But he doesn’t notice right away, and so, he’s staring at the lit screen of Hongjoong’s personal phone as the new messages show in the lock screen.  
  
_Again, I’m sorry Hongjoong_ _  
__  
__But I can’t be with someone who only talks about work and his assistant._ _  
__  
__I knew more about him than I knew about you_ _  
__  
_ Seonghwa feels a rush of white, ticklish heat and stares at the screen until it turns black, reading the words over and over again.  
  
He doesn’t know what he feels as he finally gets into a bed in the nicest guest room. But as he stares at the ceiling, and he hears the light steps of Hongjoong, he makes space for him before the other can even knock on his door.  
  
“I can’t sleep.” He’ll claim, Seonghwa knows, and then will proceed to get inside the covers with him without even asking for permission. And he’ll cuddle him in his sleep, move around incessantly until Seonghwa is restless and overheated, unable to sleep all night. But he’ll let him. And tomorrow, he’ll make them both breakfast, no matter how moody Hongjoong’s in the morning.  
  
And that’s okay. Because Hongjoong is a brat, but he’s Seonghwa’s brat. And Seonghwa’s always been more than just an assistant.  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
